Datti Baba-Ahmed clarifies controversial remark on 2027 presidential candidates

Former Labour Party vice-presidential candidate, Datti Baba-Ahmed, has clarified his recent comments about the major contenders for the 2027 presidential election, saying his remarks were taken out of context.

Baba-Ahmed made the clarification on Friday during an interview with Trust TV, following reports that he had said none of the leading presidential candidates, including his former principal, Peter Obi, could improve Nigeria.

The former Labour Party chieftain explained that he had gone into the earlier interview with a specific issue he wanted to address but was repeatedly distracted by questions from the interviewer.

According to him, the controversy arose from a question posed by Channels Television’s Seun Okinbaloye about the advice he would give President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 election.

Baba-Ahmed said he responded by urging Tinubu to prepare to hand over power in the interest of fairness and to avoid giving an undue advantage to former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar.

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“Channels Television’s Seun asked me what advice I would give to President Tinubu. I responded that Tinubu should prepare to hand over power for the sake of fairness, so as not to unduly advantage Atiku Abubakar,” he said.

He explained that while he was trying to respond within the limited time available, the interviewer inserted Peter Obi’s name into the question.

“While I was rushing, Seun added ‘including Peter Obi’ to the question. Because of time and stress, I responded, ‘yes.’ And that is what Nigerians took,” Baba-Ahmed said.

He maintained that his response was not intended to suggest that Obi was incapable of improving Nigeria, saying the circumstances surrounding the interview were responsible for the interpretation that followed.

“This was the context behind the remark that was reported as Peter Obi can’t improve Nigeria,” he added.

Baba-Ahmed’s clarification comes amid heightened political discussions over potential presidential candidates and alliances ahead of the 2027 general elections.